Love hormone may help shield women’s mental health

The hormone oxytocin may protect women from mood problems linked to sleep disruption during the postnatal period and menopause, a new study suggests.

Often called the “love hormone”, oxytocin appears to act as a natural buffer against mood disturbances caused by fragmented sleep and hormonal shifts during reproductive transitions.

Researchers examined how sleep interruption and oestrogen suppression influenced mood and hormone levels in healthy women.

A team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School studied 38 healthy premenopausal women who completed two five-night hospital stays: one during their natural hormonal state and one following suppression of oestradiol, a form of oestrogen.

After two nights of uninterrupted sleep, the women underwent three nights of disrupted sleep, simulating patterns commonly experienced after childbirth and during menopause.

The researchers found that sleep disruption significantly increased both mood disturbance and oxytocin levels. Women with higher oxytocin levels before sleep fragmentation reported fewer mood-related effects the next day.

Dr Irene Gonsalvez is associate psychiatrist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

She said: “We found that oxytocin levels rise in response to stress-related sleep disruption, and that women with higher oxytocin levels before disrupted sleep experienced less mood disturbance the next day.

“These results point toward oxytocin as a potential biological buffer during periods of hormonal and emotional vulnerability.”

The study supports the view that sleep disruption during hormonal transitions can lead to measurable changes in emotional wellbeing, rather than being minor or routine.

Dr Gonsalvez, who is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School, added: “Millions of women struggle with mood symptoms during reproductive transitions, yet treatments often focus narrowly on antidepressants or hormone therapy.

“Understanding oxytocin’s potential as a natural mood modulator could help us better support women’s mental health during these times.”